The invention relates to methods of using perfluoroketone as a reactive gas for removing unwanted deposits that build up in a vapor reactor, for etching dielectric or metallic materials in a vapor reactor, and for doping various materials in a vapor reactor.
The emission of global warming gases has received worldwide attention. The goal of the Kyoto Protocol, established at the United Nations Conference on Global Warming, was to lower emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, perfluorocarbon (PFC), hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), and SF6 to pre-1990 levels. Additionally, most manufacturers of semiconductors in the United States have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Environmental Protection Agency pledging to evaluate options for reducing PFC emissions. Perfluorocarbons and perfluorinated nitrogen compounds typically used in the semiconductor industry include CF4, C2F6, NF3, and C3F8. These materials are extremely stable compounds and are difficult to trap or treat with gas scrubbers.
Chemical vapor deposition chambers, physical vapor deposition chambers, and etching chambers are widely used in the semiconductor industry in connection with the manufacture of various electronic devices and components. Such chambers use reactive gases or vapors to deposit, pattern, or remove various dielectric and metallic materials. Perfluorocarbons and perfluorinated nitrogen compounds are widely used in conjunction with vapor reactors for etching or patterning materials and for removing unwanted deposits that build-up on the reactor walls and parts. The semiconductor industry needs alternative chemicals for vapor reaction techniques that do not contribute to global warming. This invention provides methods of using a perfluoroketone in a vapor reactor as a reactive gas to remove unwanted deposits, to etch dielectric and metallic materials, and to dope materials. The perfluoroketones perform as well as or better than perfluorocarbons while offering the advantage of significantly lower global warming potential. Additionally, the perfluoroketones are less toxic than NF3, another gas widely used in the semiconductor industry for cleaning purposes.
The invention provides a method for cleaning a chemical vapor deposition chamber, a physical vapor deposition chamber, or an etching chamber using a reactive gas comprising a perfluoroketone with 4 to 7 carbon atoms. The perfluoroketone is generally mixed with oxygen gas and a radio frequency plasma is generated. Both the cleaning time and global warming emissions are dependent on the power used to generate the plasma, the pressure inside the chamber, the gas flow rate, and the ratio of perfluoroketone to oxygen. The use of the perfluoroketone cleaning gas can result in shorter cleaning times and lower PFC emissions compared to the standard cleaning gases used by the semiconductor industry such as CF4, C2F6, c-C4F8O, and C3F8.
The invention also provides a method for etching a dielectric or metallic material using a reactive gas comprising a perfluoroketone with 4 to 7 carbon atoms. The rate of etching is comparable to that of materials commonly used for etching in the semiconductor industry such as CF4, C2F6, c-C4F8O and C3F8.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method for using a reactive gas comprising a perfluoroketone with 4 to 7 carbon atoms as a source of fluorine for preparation of fluorine containing or fluorine doped materials.
The invention provides methods of using a perfluoroketone as a reactive cleaning gas, etchant, and dopant in a vapor reactor. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cvapor reactorxe2x80x9d includes chemical vapor deposition chambers, physical vapor deposition chambers, and etching chambers. Such reactors use reactive gases or vapors to deposit, pattern, or remove various dielectric and metallic materials. In particular, the invention provides a method for using a reactive gas comprising a perfluoroketone with 4 to 7 carbon atoms for in situ cleaning of a vapor reactor. The invention also provides a method for using a reactive gas comprising a perfluoroketone with 4 to 7 carbon atoms as an etchant to pattern or remove dielectric and metallic materials. Additionally, the invention provides a method for using a reactive gas comprising a perfluoroketone with 4 to 7 carbon atoms as a source of fluorine to prepare fluorine containing or fluorine doped materials.
The perfluoroketones of this invention have a boiling point less than about 80xc2x0 C. The compounds can be linear, branched, or cyclic and contain 4 to 7 carbon atoms. Preferably, the perfluoroketones contain 5 to 7 carbon atoms. Representative examples of perfluoroketone compounds include CF3C(O)CF2CF3, CF3CF2C(O)CF2CF3, CF3C(O)CF(CF3)2, CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2, CF3(CF2)2C(O)CF(CF3)2, (CF3)2CFC(O)CF(CF3)2, CF3(CF2)2C(O)CF2CF2CF3, perfluorocyclopentanone, an perfluorocyclohexanone.
Perfluoroketones can be prepared by known methods. One approach involves the dissociation of perfluorinated carboxylic acid esters of the formula RfCO2CF(Rfxe2x80x2)2 with a nucleophilic initiating agent as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,877 (Moore). Rf and Rfxe2x80x2 are fluorine or a perfluoroalkyl group. The fluorinated carboxylic acid ester precursor can be derived from the corresponding fluorine-free or partially fluorinated hydrocarbon ester by direct fluorination with fluorine gas as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,718 (Costello et al.).
Perfluorinated ketones that are alpha-branched to the carbonyl group can be prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,734 (Fawcett et al.). Hexafluoropropylene is added to acyl halides in an anhydrous environment in the presence of fluoride ion. Small amounts of hexafluoropropylene dimer and/or trimer impurities can be removed by distillation from the perfluoroketone. If the boiling points are too close for fractional distillation, the dimer and/or trimer impurity can be removed by oxidation with alkali metal permanganate in a suitable organic solvent such as acetone, acetic acid, or a mixture thereof. The oxidation reaction is typically carried out in a sealed reactor at ambient or elevated temperatures.
Linear perfluorinated ketones can be prepared by reacting a perfluorocarboxylic acid alkali metal salt with a perfluorocarbonyl acid fluoride as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,121 (Martini et al.) Such ketones can also be prepared by reacting a perfluorocarboxylic acid salt with a perfluorinated acid anhydride in an aprotic solvent at elevated temperatures as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,671 (Van Der Puy).
All the above-mentioned patents describing the preparation of perfluoroketones are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
In the manufacture of various electronic devices or components, vapor reactors are used for depositing as well as etching dielectric and metallic materials. With both deposition and etching processes, unwanted deposits can build-up on the reactor walls and parts over time. These deposits are a source of potential contamination of the electronic device and components being produced in the vapor reactor. Thus, these unwanted deposits must be removed periodically. The deposits can include fluoropolymers containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and fluorine if perfluorochemicals or hydrofluorochemicals have been used in the vapor reactor. The deposits can also contain silicon-based materials as well as various metallic materials such as, for example, tungsten and aluminum. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9ccleaningxe2x80x9d refers to removing the unwanted deposits that build up over time on the walls and parts of a vapor reactor.
The invention provides a method for cleaning vapor reactors using a reactive gas comprising a perfluoroketone having a boiling point less than 80xc2x0 C. and containing 4 to 7 carbon atoms. Preferably, the perfluoroketone contains 5 to 7 carbon atoms. Typically, the perfluoroketone is combined with oxygen and a radio frequency plasma is generated resulting in the formation of various radicals such as atomic fluorine, carbon difluoride, and carbon trifluoride. A stable plasma can be sustained with the perfluoroketones of the invention.
The use of a cleaning gas comprising a perfluoroketone can result in shorter cleaning times and lower global warming emissions compared to the standard gases used to clean vapor reactors such as C2F6 and C3F8. Both the cleaning time and global warming emissions are dependent on the power used to generate the plasma, the pressure inside the vapor reactor, the gas flow rate, and the ratio of perfluoroketone to oxygen.
The volumetric ratio of perfluoroketone to oxygen typically ranges from about 0.10 to about 0.90, and preferably from about 0.30 to about 0.70, to 1.0 of oxygen gas (O2). The ratio of perfluoroketone to oxygen affects which radicals form in the plasma as well as which by-products form during the etching process. The perfluoroketone is typically destroyed quickly in the plasma. One of the primary by-products of the process is COF2, a gas that can be removed from the exhaust with a scrubber containing water. Lower ratios of perfluoroketone to oxygen favor the formation of atomic fluorine and COF2 as by-products rather than CF4. Other by-products include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrofluoric acid, and possibly fluorine. Either no or negligible quantities of C2F6 or C3F8 are produced as by-products of the reactions in the vapor reactor.
The power used to generate the perfluoroketone/oxygen plasma is typically in the range of about 200 to about 3500 watts. Typically, the gas flow rate is in the range of about 10 cm3/min to about 1000 cm3/min with the pressure in the range of about 0.1 torr-absolute to about 10 torr-absolute. Lower gas flow rates tend to increase cleaning times and reduce global warming gas emissions. Higher gas flow rates tend to decrease cleaning times but also increase PFC emissions.
The cleaning gas can contain a single perfluoroketone, a mixture of perfluoroketones, or a mixture of a perfluoroketone with other gases including other perfluorochemicals such as, for example, F2, NF3, c-C4F8O, CF4, C2F6, C3F8, SF6, CF3SF5 and CF2xe2x95x90CFxe2x80x94CFxe2x95x90CF2.
The invention also provides a method for etching a dielectric or metallic material in a vapor reactor by contacting such material with a reactive gas comprising a perfluoroketone having a boiling point less than about 80xc2x0 C. and containing 4 to 7 carbon atoms. Preferably the perfluoroketone contains 5 to 7 carbon atoms. The perfluoroketone is typically mixed with oxygen gas and a radio frequency plasma is generated resulting in the formation of various radicals such as atomic fluorine, carbon difluoride, and carbon trifluoride. The plasma conditions are similar to those described above.
The material that is etched by the perfluorinated ketone/oxygen plasma can include a variety of dielectric and metallic materials but typically comprises silicon-based materials such as, for example, silica, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, and silicon nitrides. The silicon-based material can be doped with boron, phosphorus, arsenic, and the like. The radicals in the plasma react with the silicon-based material to form a volatile compound such as SiF4. The SiF4 and other by-products are swept out of the reactor as part of the exhaust gas. The rate of etching by the perfluoroketones is comparable to that of perfluorocarbons commonly used for etching in the semiconductor industry such as CF4, C2F6, and C3F8.
The mass of etching gas delivered to the vapor reactor and exiting the reactor can be used to calculate the utilization efficiency of the etching gas. As used herein, the xe2x80x9cutilization efficiencyxe2x80x9d refers to the percentage of the etching gas that reacts to form other products. A higher utilization efficiency generally correlates with lower emissions of the etching gas. The utilization efficiency is dependent upon the structure of the etching gas and the amount of radio frequency power (RF power) used to generate the plasma. Normally, higher RF power yields higher utilization efficiencies.
The perfluoroketone etching gases of the invention generally have higher utilization efficiencies than state-of-the-art fluorinated materials used such as CF4, C2F6, C3F8 and c-C4F8O. A large portion of the perfluoroketone is destroyed in the plasma. Typically, the utilization efficiency is greater than about 35% for the perfluoroketones of the invention and is similar for branched and linear molecules.
Higher utilization efficiency of the etching gas results in manufacturing processes that require less fluorine source gas. This subsequently leads to lower total perfluorocarbon (PFC) containing gas emissions. The gaseous by-products from plasma etching with a perfluoroketone contain no or only negligible quantities of perfluoroketone, C2F6 or C3F8. Moreover, there are lower levels of CF4 than with conventional PFC etching gases. Thus, the use of plasmas generated by mixing oxygen and perfluoroketones could be used to meet the goals of the semiconductor industry to reduce emissions of PFC compounds.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method for using a gas comprising a perfluoroketone having a boiling point less than about 80xc2x0 C. containing 4 to 7 carbon atoms as a source of fluorine for the deposition of fluorine containing or fluorine doped materials. Preferably, the perfluoroketone contains 5 to 7 carbon atoms. The perfluoroketone is typically mixed with oxygen gas and a radio frequency plasma is generated. The plasma conditions are similar to those described above.
Such a process can be used, for example, to lower the dielectric constant of a film on a wafer support by doping the film with both carbon and fluorine.
The perfluoroketones of the invention have much lower global warming potential (GWP) than the conventional perfluorocarbons used in the semiconductor industry. As used herein, xe2x80x9cGWPxe2x80x9d is a relative measure of the warming potential of a compound based on the structure of the compound. The GWP of a compound, as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1990 and updated in 1998 (World Meteorological Organization, Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 1998, Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Projectxe2x80x94Report No. 44, Geneva, 1999), is calculated as the warming due to the release of 1 kilogram of a compound relative to the warming due to the release of 1 kilogram of CO2 over a specified integration time horizon (ITH):             GWP      x        ⁡          (              t        xe2x80x2            )        =                    ∫        0        ITH            ⁢                        F          x                ⁢                  C          ox                ⁢                  ⅇ                                    -              t                        /            τx                          ⁢                  ⅆ          t                                    ∫        0        ITH            ⁢                        F                      CO            2                          ⁢                              C                          CO              2                                ⁡                      (            t            )                          ⁢                  ⅆ          t                    
where F is the radiative forcing per unit mass of a compound (the change in the flux of radiation through the atmosphere due to the IR absorbance of that compound), C is the atmospheric concentration of a compound, xcfx84 is the atmospheric lifetime of a compound, t is time and x is the compound of interest (i.e., C0x is the time 0 or initial concentration of compound x).
The commonly accepted ITH is 100 years representing a compromise between short-term effects (20 years) and longer-term effects (500 years or longer). The concentration of an organic compound in the atmosphere is assumed to follow pseudo first order kinetics (i.e., exponential decay). The concentration of CO2 over that same time interval incorporates a more complex model for the exchange and removal of CO2 from the atmosphere (the Bern carbon cycle model).
CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2 has an atmospheric lifetime of approximately 5 days based on photolysis studies at 300 nm. Other perfluoroketones show similar absorbances and thus are expected to have similar atmospheric lifetimes. A measured IR cross-section was used to calculate the radiative forcing value for CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2 based on the method of Pinnock, et al. (J. Geophys. Res., 100, 23227, 1995). Using this radiative forcing value and the 5-day atmospheric lifetime, the GWP (100 year ITH) for a perfluoroketone with 6 carbon atoms is 1 while the GWP for C2F6 is 11,400. The perfluoroketones of the invention typically have a GWP less than about 10. As a result of their rapid degradation in the lower atmosphere, the perfluorinated ketones have short lifetimes and would not be expected to contribute significantly to global warming. The low GWP of the perfluoroketones make them well suited for use as gases in a vapor reactor.
Additionally, the perfluoroketones can have low toxicity. For example, CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2 has low acute toxicity based on short-term inhalation tests with rats. The LC50 concentration of CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2 was found to be 100,000 ppm in air based on four-hour exposure tests. In contrast, the LC50 concentration of NF3 was found to be 2,000 ppm in air in similar studies.